#511: Ruling on the Number of Raka’āt of a Congregational Prayer that was Completed by Someone that missed some of the First Raka’āt

QUESTION

” Funny and ignorant solah in a congregation zuhr solah, the Imam has prayed first rakkah, on the second *sujood* of second rakkah, the Imam released air, and he left the solah on sujood, leaving the follower on sujood, there was a brother at the ablution center, as he saw that imaam has left, he joined the solah by going to the imam’s place and he went sujood and do takbeerah to raised them up, the follower were surprised that the Imam has changed, but the person kept praying for them..We should not forget that the follower has prayed two rakkah, and the person that went straight to imam was just joining them, when the second imam prayed 2, the follower had completed their 4 automatically, and the imam now entered into wahala, should i stand up and pray my own ni, if i do that the follower own will be 6, and if i tasleem, my own will be 2, and theirs will be 4…In a nutshell, the Imam was confused and he just spoilt the solah…The question now is…Who really made the mistake…And who displayed ignorance…”

ANSWER

Alhamdulillāh.

Provided that this is not among those questions that are asked for the fun of it and provided that this incidence actually happened as the writer said, we will proceed to answer as follows:

Firstly, the recommended act for an Imām whose Purification became vitiated is to step out and take the hands of someone who has been in the first row to the front, or to leave and allow one of them to, of his own step forward to lead the congregation. Both were recorded to have been done by the Sahābah.

Imām Bukhārī – rahimahullāh – recorded in his Sahih that when ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb – radiyallāhu anhu – was stabbed in the Masjid, he left the Salāt and the Noble Companion ‘Abdurrahman Ibn ‘Awf – radiyallāhu anhu – stepped forward and led the Believers in Salāt to completion.

Whereas it came in the Sunan of Sa’īd Ibn Mansūr – rahimahullāh – that once Ali Ibn Abī Tālib – radiyallāhu anhu – had a nose bleeding, so he took the hand of one of the Believers there to the place of the Imām and then left.

These show that both are permissible.

Though the Ulamā explained that if the Imām knows that the people that pray behind him are ignorant of this ruling, it is obligatory upon him to appoint one of them to complete for them the Salāt.

However, if they were a people that know this ruling, then he can either appoint someone or leave it to any of them to come forward.

Though the majority preferred that he chooses someone to complete on his behalf.

As for the brother that came and saw them on Sujūd, it was wrong for him to begin leading them as it was not his responsibility or right to step in as the Imām.

But if this scenario happens, what is obligatory upon the followers is to pray with him and to terminate their own Salāt once it is completed and not to wait for the new Imām to complete it.

This is because it is not permissible for the followers to follow the Imām in more than the number of Raka’āt that the Salāt entails.

This is the position of the vast majority of the Imams.

Imām An-Nawawī – rahimahullāh – said in the Muhadhdhab:

لو قام إلى ركع خامسة فإنه لا يتابعه
“If he (the Imām) were to rise up for a fifth raka’a, then he must not follow him in that.”

That is what is clear about this matter.

Bārakallāhu fīkum
Jazākumullāhu Khayran.

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